It was a scorching hot day in late August, and Tohru felt like she was going to melt.
When they'd first moved to Hibe, it had taken some time to get used to how very seasonal the seasons could be. In Tokyo, there had been a sort of gentle flow from spring to summer, fall, and winter; but up north, each season declared itself almost aggressively. Winter was cold, snowy, and lasted forever, and summer...was hot. Very hot.
Especially when you were thirteen weeks pregnant.
Tohru sighed and stuck close to the shade of the train station canopy. Her choices were either shade, but no breeze, or breeze, with no shade, and it was hard to say which was worse when it was pushing ninety degrees! But the train should be arriving in minutes, and then she could finally go back into the cool air conditioning of the bus back to Hibe.
But hot as she was, Tohru was still excited. In fact, she was practically radiating excitement, from the top of her head down to her sandal-clad toes. The only thing that was even the tiniest bit disappointing was that Kyo couldn't be here, too; she knew he would have been even happier than her.
Kyo was at work for another two and a half hours, though, and it was much easier for Tohru to get to the train station since she worked in Nigeyashi already. And she was happy to do it; more than happy to do it, in fact.
Right on time, the train pulled into the station, and Tohru rose up excitedly on her toes. When the doors opened, she started rapidly scanning the passengers as they disembarked, looking for one familiar and very dear face.
"Master Kazuma, over here!"
Kazuma found Tohru easily, alerted by the frantic waving as well as the enthusiastic sound of her voice. She really was the best welcoming committee anyone could hope for, he thought as he walked over. It was doubtful there could ever be anyone as visibly happy to see him as Tohru, not even Kyo.
"Tohru, it's so very nice to see you," he said, giving her a big hug. "I'm sorry that I made you wait in this heat, though."
In spite of her obvious wilting, Tohru waved off his apologies. "It's no trouble at all, Master Kazuma, I'm so very glad I got the chance to meet you! I hope your journey wasn't too tiring."
"Not at all. It was very comfortable the entire time, and I made excellent time, of course. And even if it wasn't, I'd still be happy to endure it for a chance to spend some time with you two." Kazuma had his bag tossed over his shoulder, and with his other hand he gestured for Tohru to precede him from the train station. She was the one who knew the way to the bus stop, after all! "It'll be a rare treat, to finally be able to attend one of the Matsuda Dojo's exhibitions. I haven't been to one in years, and I look forward to witnessing Kyo's performance."
Tohru smiled as she listened to Kazuma, his quiet voice belying just how excited she knew him to be. It was thanks to Kazuma that Kyo had this job, and he'd grown so much in the past four years as a martial artist. Kazuma had seen Kyo fight when they'd visited him in Tokyo, but this would be the first time that Kazuma would get a good chance to observe Kyo in a true test; Kazuma's previous visits to Hibe had both been depressingly short.
It was a stroke of good fortune that Kazuma was here at all, actually. Neither Kyo nor Tohru had expected it; as Tohru had approached the second trimester of her pregnancy and they started to discuss actually telling family and friends about it, the question of Kazuma had been prominent. Both of them would have loved to tell him in person, but making the trip to Tokyo made no sense from any other perspective. Even if Kyo swallowed his pride and took Akito up on her permanent offer to pay any time they wanted to travel to Tokyo, neither one of them could currently justify the time off even if it wasn't almost the summer festival. And because it was almost the summer festival, there was no way Kyo could miss work short of an actual death.
So they'd been resigned to the idea of a video call, when Kazuma himself had solved the problem for them.
"Kyo, I had a training trip fall through at the end of August, and I already have the time arranged to be away from the dojo. That's when the Matsuda Dojo has their exhibition, correct? For the summer festival? I know it's a big imposition, especially on such short notice, but would you two be opposed to me coming and staying with you for a week? I'd enjoy the chance to see you work."
Tohru and Kyo had practically fallen over themselves approving of the plan, and not only because they'd get to tell Kazuma in person. The longest Kazuma had ever spent with them before was two days; every visit back to Tokyo always had to be shared by everyone else they needed to see. This would be the most time they'd have to spend together since before Tohru and Kyo had graduated high school, and the idea was wonderful!
Kyo had been so excited, he'd been like a little kid. "That would be great, Dad! And you know you'd be more than welcome at the dojo, Sensei Kenichi will be so glad to have you. I bet you could show some of the others a thing or two, too." His eyes had been shining, planning it all out. "And it'd be great to have you at the exhibition. You could even fight in it, if you wanted; there's always an open tourney as part of the instructor demonstrations. I bet you'd put on a pretty great show!"
Kazuma had laughed, amused as always at the pride Kyo had in him. "Well, we'll have to see about that part, but it would definitely be nice to be able to train with you. But I'm most looking forward to spending some time with the two of you. I hope it won't be too much of an imposition, being there during a workweek."
They'd been quick to assure him the opposite; they only hoped he wouldn't find it too quiet, or too cramped, for that matter. Their little house only had one bedroom, so guests had to make do with futons in the living room.
But Kazuma had brushed off their concerns in turn, and the plans had been made. He'd be arriving by train on Wednesday afternoon, two days before the beginning of the summer festival and three days before the Matsuda Dojo exhibition that Saturday.
Walking with Master Kazuma to the bus stop, Tohru was all aquiver with excitement. It had been over two months since they'd last seen Kazuma, and she wanted so much to talk to him about...well, everything! But obviously that wasn't an option, not yet. Definitely not without Kyo! So she had to manage until then, without giving so much as a hint of their exciting news.
Both of them had been thorough in scouring the house for anything incriminating. The ultrasound picture was safely tucked into Tohru's nightstand, the maternity tag was off of her purse. The books were back up in their bedroom, along with Tohru's prenatal vitamins and every scrap of paper they'd ever gotten from any doctor's appointment.
Tohru was a little bit worried that Kazuma might notice the faint beginnings of her baby bump. She herself had a mix of emotions when she first started to notice it earlier that week; because she was so slim, it meant she started showing on the earlier side. Kyo had sworn up and down that it was still impossible to tell; she knew, obviously, and he could maaaaaaybe tell that something was starting to happen, but there was no way that anyone else would look at her and even remotely assume she was pregnant. Tohru wasn't sure if she believed him, though, so she'd erred on the side of caution and picked a slightly looser-fitting dress today than normal.
She didn't feel like Kazuma was looking at her any differently, at least, so that part was good.
And Tohru was happy to hear the obvious enthusiasm in Kazuma's voice when he talked about the exhibition. She wasn't sure what Kyo was more excited about, honestly; telling Kazuma about the baby, or getting the chance to show him off to the dojo! "Well, I know Kyo is very excited too, Master Kazuma. They've been working so hard for the past two months getting ready, I'm sure it's going to be an excellent show! And there's always such a good turnout, I feel like everyone in Hibe and every city or town in a fifty-mile radius turns up to watch on exhibition days. Last year, I almost couldn't get in, and it's outside!"
Kazuma chuckled; knowing the area and the reputation of the dojo, he wasn't surprised. "Sensei Kenichi has always done a wonderful job bridging the gap between his dojo and the community. I have a great deal of respect for all the work he's done to keep his dojo strong and thriving, and it will be nice to be able to see it in action. I assume that Kyo is there now?" They'd made it to the bus stop now, and took seats to wait for the bus to Hibe.
"Yes, that's right! He's there until 6:30 on weekdays. He'll have to go back to the dojo after supper tonight, so I'm sure he'll be extra prompt leaving on time before that!"
"Oh?" Kazuma looked at Tohru curiously. "Did he change his late lesson days, then? I'm sorry I didn't confirm in that case, I could have come tomorrow, instead."
"Oh, it's not a problem at all Master Kazuma! It's actually because of the demonstration, not his classes. He'll still have his late class tomorrow, from 7:30 until 9:30. But tonight he'll be at the dojo for about an hour or so, doing some sparring practice with some of the other dans." She paused, thinking for a moment, then smiled at Kazuma. "I bet he'd love it if you went with him, if you're at all interested."
"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to impose, or worry about distracting him," Kazuma said with a smile, "But I would probably enjoy that if he wouldn't consider it an intrusion."
There were very few places Tohru could imagine Kazuma being an intrusion for Kyo, and there was absolutely no way the dojo was among them. "We'll just have to ask him tonight!"
In spite of Tohru's initial nerves, she managed to get through the next two hours with no problems. They made polite conversation about the weather, and the convenience of bus travel. The town of Hibe itself, and how nice it was that Tohru and Kyo could live here. Tohru's little vegetable garden. The quasi-stray, quasi-her cat Butsu, who spent half of his time wandering and half his time living in said vegetable garden. Once they were back at the Sohma house she made him some tea, and he sat at the living room table admiring things while she made dinner.
"You two really have made a lovely home here, Tohru. But I suppose that after four years, you've had plenty of time to truly make it yours." He smiled as he looked around the room, at the simple but effective decorations, and at the three shrines in the living room alcove, one for each of Tohru and Kyo's deceased parents. They were gone, all of them, but not Kazuma. He would be here, to give voice to the praise that they would if they could.
Tohru looked around the kitchen with a little smile of her own. They really had done a lot to make it theirs, considering what a blank beige canvas it had been when they moved it. But little touches, like the framed collection of Isuzu's drawings on the kitchen wall, or decorative greenery, or the framed photos of friends and family dotted here and there, had all worked together to show anyone who came here that this was their home. This where Kyo and Tohru lived.
"Thank you, Master Kazuma. We do really love living here, both in this house and in Hibe. It's very different from Tokyo, but in a really good way. We've been very happy here, so far."
Kazuma smiled, hearing the satisfaction in her voice and knowing she was telling the truth. "And that makes me happy to hear, Tohru. It's all I ever could have wanted for Kyo, to be even a fraction as content as the two of you seem to be. And while I was disappointed that my training trip fell through, I'm not at all upset to have this chance to actually spend a proper amount of time here getting to see how you live your lives. I only hope you don't let me intrude too much, I know it's going to be a little close quarters."
Tohru smiled happily, basking in the praise. It was nice to know that Kazuma's dreams and their reality aligned so nicely!
"We'll all be fine! I only wish we had a better bed to offer you than a futon in the living room; we do have the exercise room upstairs, of course, but it's so small and you have to pass through our room to get in and out, so-"
"Please don't worry about it, Tohru, the living room will be perfectly comfortable for me. I'm an early riser, you know, so there's almost no risk of either of you waking me up. Not even Kyo."
The two of them were laughing together when Tohru paused, her ears suddenly catching the sound of a key in the lock. At once she wiped her hands on the towel, looking into the living room with a big smile. "That should be Kyo now!" And right on time.
The front door opened and Kyo burst in, breathing heavily. But he was smiling, and his smile got even bigger when Kazuma appeared in the living room door at the end of the not-hall, smiling himself. "Hey, Dad!"
"Hey, yourself," Kazuma said with a laugh. "Did you run all the way here?"
Kyo grinned as he kicked off his shoes. "Pretty much, yeah. Did Tohru tell you I have to be back at the dojo in forty-five minutes? I didn't want to waste any time." Shoes off and bag down, Kyo dashed up the step to Kazuma and caught him in a big bear hug. "It's so good to see you!"
"It's wonderful to see you as well, Kyo; and yes, she did tell me something to that effect, so we'll have to make sure we get you back on your way to the dojo in a timely manner." Kazuma returned the hug with a big smile of his own. It always amazed him every time he saw Kyo just how much older and more mature he'd become, but more able and willing to express emotion at the same time. There had been a time when Kyo had hesitated to show joy, or happiness, or anything positive; he'd been too worried that showing them would make losing them that much more painful. Now, whenever Kazuma saw him he was wearing his joy out on his sleeve, for the world to see.
And it never failed to make Kazuma grateful.
Tohru was teary-eyed as she watched their exchange; that part wasn't new, but she knew it was hormones that was making her sniffle. But it was so very wonderful to her, seeing Kyo with his father. The man who Kyo wanted to model himself against. The man who'd be their child's grandfather. How happy was Kazuma going to be, learning that?
But that was a discussion for later, not now when they were on a tight timeline. "Alright, dinner is ready if you two are!"
Kyo left Kazuma to duck into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Tohru and giving her a kiss. Keeping his voice low, he quickly asked, "How are you doing?"
"Fine, perfectly fine. Everything is fine," she whispered back, still teary-eyed. And he chuckled at the tears, knowing full well what had caused them.
Letting go of her, he turned his attention to the meal. "Tea or water, Dad?"
"I already have some tea, but thank you, Kyo."
"Cool." Kyo grabbed some dishes and brought them out to the table, alongside Tohru, and the three of them sat to eat. "Did you have a good trip?"
"Uneventful, just as one would hope. It was a good day to be in air conditioning, though; poor Tohru looked like a wilted flower waiting for me at the train station."
Kyo shot Tohru a concerned look, but she brushed it off. "I was fine, Kyo, I was in the shade. But it was really hot! Thank goodness for punctual trains, right?"
"Yes, definitely," Kazuma said with a smile, then looked at Kyo. "Tohru tells me you have a sparring practice tonight?"
"Yeah, that's right. Since we have the demonstration as part of the Dojo exhibition on Saturday, everyone is putting in some extra time this week to prepare. I'm sorry I have to leave so soon after getting home, but I should be back by nine or so."
"I thought maybe Master Kazuma would like to go with you tonight and watch, if you thought it was ok, Kyo."
Kyo's eyes lit up at the idea, and he flashed Tohru a grateful look. "That would be great!" Turning to Kazuma, he gave his father a hopeful look. "What do you think? Want to come check out the dojo, and watch practice? I know Sensei Kenichi won't mind, and would probably be glad to see you. And maybe you can give me some pointers after watching."
"If you're sure it won't be a bother, then I'd love to come along, Kyo. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to properly attend at the Matsuda Dojo."
Kyo had been planning to take as much time at home as possible, then run back when he absolutely had to. But with Kazuma coming with him his plans changed, and he finished his food quickly. It wasn't long at all before Kyo was looking apologetically at Tohru and saying "I'm sorry, Tohru, but we need to get going so I can get ready. We'll be back a bit after nine, is that ok?" And in that question, there was another question that only Tohru heard.
"After nine is fine, Kyo, I'll still be here." And both of them were smiling then, maybe a little too broadly. "You two have fun at the dojo, and I'll see you when you get back."
The two men set out, leaving the dishes at Tohru's insistence. And it was nice, to be able to walk and talk together.
"I'm surprised you don't just keep your gi on, on nights you need to go back so soon, Kyo. Isn't it a bit inconvenient to be showering and changing twice so close together," Kazuma asked casually. And immediately, Kyo felt his defenses go up.
That was one of the best things about tonight. They had decided to hold off on telling anyone else until Kazuma knew; no one, aside of the Tanakas and Tohru's coworkers, knew yet. So that meant that Kyo was in a perpetual state of defensiveness, trying not to say or do anything that would make anyone too suspicious. Tohru was much better at it than him, unfortunately. "Yes, well, it's just gotten to be a habit. I guess it probably would be easier to keep it on, but it's not a big deal. And I'd feel a little weird sprinting in my gi," he added with what he hoped was a natural-sounding chuckle.
If Kazuma found his explanation overly detailed, he didn't let on. "It must be nice, being able to walk to work like this so easily."
"Oh, it is. We've talked about a car before, because Tohru hates me walking so far in the winter. But even then, it's only about twenty minutes and I like to keep moving the whole time. I'd rather walk, anyway, than have to maintain a car we have no use for." Though they'd picked up the car conversation again recently, they'd yet to make any firm decision. But with the baby, it might be nice not to be at the mercy of the bus system!
"Tohru still likes taking the bus into work?"
"Yeah. It actually leaves Hibe at a pretty convenient time, and it's an easy ride. It's only a couple blocks from the bus station to the clinic, so once she's in Nigeyashi she's pretty much set."
"Well, that's good to hear. It's certainly handy to have well-managed public transportation, especially out in a place like this."
Even walking, it didn't take too long to cross Hibe. In about fifteen minutes, Kazuma and Kyo were making their way up the road that lead to the dojo, and very quickly the gates came into sight.
"Where do you need to go for your practice?"
Kyo grinned and gestured to the gates. "Just there, actually. The locker room first, obviously, but we're just practicing in the courtyard. Since the demonstration is being conducted on the ground instead of on a dias, we're practicing on the ground, too. And this way, there's plenty of space."
Kyo and Kazuma walked through the gates, and Kyo waved to his colleagues that were already there. Several people looked curiously at Kazuma, but no one asked anything yet as Kyo jogged away to get changed. Kazuma hung back, walking around the outside of the courtyard and looking around. He'd been here before, but not for a long, long time.
"Kazuma Sohma. Checking to see what's all changed, or making comparisons to what you've got back in the city?"
Kazuma turned and smiled, returning Sensei Kenichi's bow with one of his own. "You've caught me already; I was just trying to remember how many years it's been."
"Too many, considering I know you've been here at least once in the time your boy has been here."
"Yes, well, the timing has never worked out well before now."
Sensei Kenichi was an older man, older than Kazuma by at least a decade, maybe even two. But a lifetime of martial arts had kept him physically young, and he was more than capable of holding his own against any of the other students or instructors in his school. There was no one who could touch Sensei Kenichi; he had earned every bit of respect he was given.
But he had known Kazuma Sohma many years ago, and even then the younger man had shown a great deal of skill. Kenichi had usually come up the victor when they had trained together than, but how much had things changed in the intervening years? Kenichi would be more than happy to have the chance to test himself against another Master, especially one with a reputation like Kazuma.
And he was sizing Kazuma up now, almost hopefully. "I don't suppose you're wearing a gi under that robe, are you? You're more than welcome to join us."
Kazuma shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid not, not tonight. My coming along was a little last minute, so I'm just here to observe. But with your permission, I'd like to come with Kyo tomorrow and Friday. It would do me good, to train a little bit in another environment."
"Of course, you're most welcome. I hope this means you're planning to attend the exhibition on Saturday as well."
"Yes, that's part of why I'm here."
Kyo came jogging out of the dojo, his gi on and his belt tied sharply. Both masters glanced his way, Kazuma not even trying to hide the proud smile on his face at the sight. As Kyo joined the other karateka, grinning, returning greetings, and looking completely at ease, it was hard for Kazuma not to think of the Kyo he used to see, the one who stood to the side, aloof, with his arms crossed and a sour expression.
Kenichi glanced from Kyo to Kazuma. "He's truly been a credit to you, you know. I didn't expect anything less from your son, but it was nice to have my expectations proved right."
Kazuma smiled, his heart swelling under the validation. He had wanted this, for Kyo. All of this. It had been hard to see him leave, but knowing he's landed so soundly on his feet made the distance bearable. "I'm glad to hear it, but I can only take so much credit. He's always been driven, and he's always been willing to put in hard work. Still, it makes me immensely proud to know how well he's doing under your instruction."
Kenichi shrugged. "I don't give unearned praise. He has things to work on, obviously, but overall he's a very sound practitioner and an excellent teacher. He had a gift for making children listen to him, even ones who'd normally struggle to stay focused."
Kazuma wasn't surprised by that; Kyo had once been a child like that himself, and not all that long ago. Not really. Though looking at the tall young man, it was hard to admit it sometimes.
Kenichi clapped Kazuma on the shoulder. "Alright, it's just about time for us to get started. Would you object if I introduced you, since you'll be around the next few days?"
"Not at all. And it should actually be for the next week, if you've no objections; I'll be leaving next Wednesday, but I'd like to come daily while I'm here."
"Of course."
The two masters walked over to the group of karateka, who quickly lined up when they saw Kenichi approach. But before they started, Kenichi held up his hands.
"I'd like to take a moment to introduce a visitor to the Matsuda Dojo, who will be training with us for the next week." Gesturing to Kazuma, Kenichi continued, "This is Kazuma Sohma, 9th dan and Master at the Sohma Dojo in Tokyo. I've had the privilege of knowing Master Sohma for many years, and I've spent some time at his dojo. You know I don't give praise lightly," as a little ripple of laughter rose from the assembled students, "but he's an excellent karateka and his dojo is well-respected with reason. I hope everyone accords him the respect his rank and his role as our guest deserves." He bowed to Kazuma, who bowed back. "Master Sohma is also the father of our own Sensei Sohma, so I'm sure we will all be able to see who we have to thank for having Sensei Sohma here with us."
Kyo was grinning, and Kazuma smiled back. It was nice to hear Sensei Kenichi's words, but Kazuma knew that they weren't entirely true; Kazuma might have gotten Kyo started, but Kyo had earned everything he had on his own.
And Kazuma couldn't be prouder.